


Lando Norris On Micellar Water For Post-Race Interviews

by babypapaya



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Character Study, Coming of Age, Gen, Implied Relationships, Journalism, M/M, Skincare-based plot, Unconventional Format
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-09
Updated: 2020-03-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:28:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23082499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babypapaya/pseuds/babypapaya
Summary: INTO THEGLOSSHOME // THE TOP SHELF / LANDO NORRIS, DRIVER, MCLAREN F1 TEAM
Relationships: Lando Norris/Carlos Sainz Jr
Comments: 14
Kudos: 83





	Lando Norris On Micellar Water For Post-Race Interviews

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



> for CRP. this is long overdue and we all owe you so much. you compelled me to write this and I'm grateful for everything <3
> 
> it's my turn to write experimental fic now, so: Into the Gloss is a beauty website founded in 2010 and focused on the beauty routines and lifestyles of inspiring women (and men). here's my crack at writing a feature for Lando.
> 
> disclaimer: I am not associated with ITG or F1. this is a work of fiction. keep it lowkey, keep it classy, keep it off twitter and out of real life and away from the drivers.
> 
> (and so much love to singlemalter for help with the formatting. <3)

Lando Norris, Driver, McLaren F1 Team

  


“When I climb out of the car, obviously I'm so focused on the moment and the last fifty, sixty, seventy laps of my life that I'm not thinking too far ahead, and then I'm like _oh, crap, I have to look hot for interviews and I’m gross_. I don’t think all the drivers are like that. Charles is, Carlos is—you know, those of us they call metrosexuals or something. It’s not a gay thing, though, I mean, _Max_ probably hasn’t thought about helmet hair once in his life and he’s—everyone knows the rest. I just want to look cute on live TV, right? 

IN THE PADDOCK  
I started driving in Formula 1 when I was 19, so I was the youngest on the grid in my rookie year. That definitely let me get away with a lot, goofing off in meetings, sleeping absolutely _everywhere,_ mooning over my teammate… Absolutely every part of my rookie year was testing the waters. What could I push back on, when did I have to clean up my act? It was crazy stressful and everyone could tell, so some of them were like “oh, we can baby him a little,” while others thought they had to play it tough to me to get the hard part over with first. I think the worst was when the same person would try to play both good cop _and_ bad cop with me, and I never knew what to expect from them on any particular day. It was—insecure, I guess, I was insecure and trying to play to the cameras but also act like an adult at the same time. Craving stability, obviously, but not creating it for myself. 

Carlos is stability like, incarnate, which is why we get on so well, I think. At least, that’s what everyone else says, but _by now_ I think I’m allowed to have my own reasons. We both started with McLaren at the same time, obviously, but he was the seasoned veteran with four years and some drama under his belt, and I was, you know, just the baby. They called me Baby Yoda that year, didn’t they? Right. Sorry, Disney! Anyway, he was 24 and I was in awe, though—it’s crazy, I’m almost 24 now myself and if any of the rookies now asked me for help I think I’d desperately turn them ‘round in the other direction. Anyway, we get on well. The more he got into my life—we got into each other’s lives—the more… the more _certain_ things became. Not certain like _oh I know I’ll have this seat next year_ but like someone knows how I act and what to expect from me, so I can just—chill out. Plus he’s the master of life pro tips and I couldn’t deal without that. So I don’t.

ON BEAUTY  
I think the thing with Formula 1 is that we all start so young, we show up with our baby faces in our rookie years and everyone sees you grow up, every other week, and it’s so gradual that no one notices until they compare photos from two years ago or something, and it’s like _jesus, he’s not a kid anymore._ You know? So you come in with some chub under your chin and no hair on it, and a few inches left to grow and absolutely _no_ idea what to do with your hair, and every questionable choice you make is broadcast to millions. 

We should probably talk about that more, but we’re _men,_ right? We don’t worry about what we _look_ like, unless we’re gorgeous, and then we can talk about it all the time. Lewis doesn’t get enough credit for being the one to start changing that, by the way. Obviously gorgeous, but still… openly visual-focused and he did get flak for that but it makes it easier to put on a bit of concealer and be like, “Well Lewis has a million fashion collections so I’m allowed to care about looks, too.”

Anyway, I’ve lost the chub under my chin. Obviously it was Carlos who sorted my face out and got me hooked on skincare, though he tends to go high-end while I’m more of a pharmacy type of girl. Or at least, Sephora samples when I can get them. 

SKINCARE  
I didn’t grow up being told to take care of my skin, obviously, my mum would pat a bit of SPF on me a few times a year, but that was it. Carlos ribbed me enough about my neglect and I popped into a Walgreens in Texas, in 2019—I do remember this clearly—and picked up a tube of Nivea Creme. A hundred mils, it fit in my carry-on and I _slathered_ it on my face and hands whenever I flew, or if I was staying in a particularly dry hotel. Charles is—I know Charles Leclerc uses the Mario Badescu Rosewater Spray, but—I’m not Charles Leclerc. Everything about travel is so _drying_ and _miserable_ and the Nivea, well, it didn’t revolutionise that for me but it made it a hell of a lot better. It’s a staple for me now but I prefer the German-made formula better than the American one, so watch out for that.

So I was super glowy and almost greasy with moisturiser, then Carlos told me I had to use a proper cleanser too if I really wanted to clear up that last bit of teenage acne, so he gave me his Shiseido Clarifying Cleansing Foam. I was an idiot, I was crushing _super_ hard at that point so I demanded he show me how to use it. It was _such_ an intricate ritual, and it turned out to be a bit drying for me, so we played around with a few other products. I’ve been using the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser for a few years now; it’s a classic for a reason. Right now for a daytime moisturiser I’m using the Vegan Milk Moisturiser from MILK Makeup—don’t laugh, old memes die hard but it’s not from the meme, it’s from a friend. 

I still use Nivea at night and for flights. I don’t like wandering the luxury duty-free alone, but when Carlos needs to restock his Laneige I’ll go along. Actually, their Lip Sleeping Mask is brilliant and I do pick it up myself, just as an all-purpose lip balm. In the tube, not the pot. I like the grapefruit, it’s a little more pizzazz than the original. I gave some to Alex a few years ago because he was using EOS, of all brands. He rang me when it ran out and I got an earful for getting him hooked to a twenty buck lip balm, but if it works… 

The tricky thing isn’t the travel though, it’s the driving. I love my helmets, love designing them, but they’re absolute breeding grounds for grossness. Think about it—or maybe don’t—an hour and a half enclosed with fabric and your own breath and so much sweat. And that’s just the race, nevermind other sessions. Then you rip it off and the fresh air feels lovely but you look like a wet mop, and you’ve got the same amount of bacteria on you. I’ll do a wipedown with Bioderma Sensibio micellar water on a clean washcloth—cotton rounds otherwise—so even if I walk out into the media pen looking like one of my boyfriend’s dogs, at least I’m not asking for a breakout. At home we both like La Mer’s Cleansing Micellar Water for actually removing makeup. 

HAIR  
I didn’t think very much about my hair until McLaren filmed an advert with Amazon, and they styled both of us for that. They really worked my hair and defined the curl, and I didn’t think too hard about it until my mum saw the commercial and pointed it out. I did some research online—you know, didn’t want to expose Carlos to one more problem of my looks—and over the next year I tried the curlygirl method, and it sort of worked but my hair’s too short for it and I can’t be arsed to let it air-dry every time when I have to take so many showers. 

I started doing hair masks instead, and they’re gross but the effort they take is concentrated into an hour, which I can manage at least twice a week. I’ve been using the Seven Day Miracle by Original Mineral, and okay, _maybe_ this one is for the meme. But the bottle is shaped like a milk jar and it smells like cookies and vanilla, and it’s just cute. 

MAKEUP  
I’m taking makeup off more often than I’m putting it on, in this line of work. Skincare felt like a natural step for me because you can see it from purely a health angle, but using makeup, just for me, just for fun, not for a shoot… The whole nature of it is more deliberate. It feels like I’m making a statement, when I just want to look nice. The Nudestix Nudies Bloom are really low-effort though, and I like the nice monochromatic look you get. It’s just one product for your whole face. I have a few different shades for when I’m more tan or pale at different parts of the year. They’re the only product I take when I travel. 

My stash at home is more fun, though. I like shine, I like to make people look twice sometimes. I’m crap at eye looks and I don’t touch my brows except to brush them or clean them up every other week. It’s about big mascara, highlight—I’m a basic bitch so I’ve been using the Fenty Killawatt Highlighter in Lighting Dust and Fire Crystal. And Too Faced Better Than Sex. But always something light on the lips. I don’t _feel_ like a red lipstick kind of guy yet. 

I guess I wear it for me, for my family... Carlos… for the guy at the corner store at 1 AM when I need a ten-pack of Reeces. The paddock isn’t ready for me yet.” 

—as told to ITG 

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! any kudos and comments are appreciated <3


End file.
